Can you keep chickens in a residential area?

My next door neighbour seems to think she lives on a farm but I think she has one to far this time
She has 2 dogs’ 5 cats’ 1 rabbit’ 2 gunny pigs’ 1 pigeon’ god knows how many birds of some sort that make loads of noise’ a horse from time to time all thought the horse doesn’t like there and now 4 chickens
I didn’t think you could keep wild stock in a residential area or can she?
Any advice is welcome as im not looking forward spending my summer sitting in my garden listening to bloody chickens clucking away all day

I think you will find if it's less than 12 chickens she can do what she likes (provided it's on her property). If it's more than 12 she needs to register them with DEFRA on a poultry register, in case bird flu gets out, so they know where to go to slaughter them etc.

However, if they are causing a disturbance (crowing all night etc) you still have basic "noise limit" rights, and can call your local council. They should be able to give her a warning, and if she doesn't sort things out the council can serve an ASBO on her (although this can take a while, evidence etc, and will require police involvement).

Think of it this way, you won't have to go down to Tescos for Sunday lunch as often :-)

We always used to keep chickens, no one complained and they used to like some of our very superior eggs too. Cockerels are the anti social ones of course. We did not have one of those. Clucking chickens is hardly anything to be whingeing about surely. I can't see how you can complain about her pets anyway, as long as they don't damage your property.

It was reported that if you have a garden you will always be within a few yards of a rat-anywhere!

you sound like one of them neighbours who has to moan about everything!
we have 9 chickens they arnt noisey at all, but they attract rats (good fun to shoot um tho) but your worse problem will be in the summer, chicken **** stinks man! lol your gonna have fun with that. luckily we have a bit of land and ours are no where near the house! if she dont clean um out every 4 days you are screwed!

IIRC there are regulations that stipulate a miniumum distance between chicken coops and domestic residences, due to the number of diseases and infections that can transfer to humans.

A friend of my sister keeps them and to be honest I've never noticed them making any noise when we've been up there for a drink, even when we've been sat in the same garden as them. As Les said, it's the cockerels that make all the noise.

Well where I live is relatively what you would call a new build estate and the gardens are very small about 8 meters by 5 meters and believe me these things are making a lot of noise and its not what you want to here when your having a barby. I don’t mined kid noises shouting and playing games but when you have fathered freaks in the next yard crapping and making horrible noises it not what you want to hear especially when their dogs are chasing them round for fun and the fat Quasimodo bitch sits there and thinks its funny. Really you need to come and see this to believe it.
I remember once when we first moved in we had a barby for my dads birthday all was fine until we lit the barby and then she put the hose over the fence and tried to put the gas barby out it seems she just wants to be a freak and her kids the fat barstuards

Location: oop north in a spec-c.Now sold and starting on a classic ra track/sprint/road car

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Shaun as said earlier check your land registery Having just paid my morgage off I got my title deeds and inside the covenant says that no chickens to be kept on the land.....so I got some ostrich's instead Joking apart the land that I built my house on did say in the covenant no chickens so if they have them next door where you live and it says in yours no chickens then the same should apply next door I know where you live dont forget.

I got some chickens from ASDA but I had to throw them away after a while as they started to smell a bit

There is a cockerel near me and it is always cocking (or whatever the **** it is they do) but never first thing in the morning, it just does it when it feels like it, as my house backs on to 10 miles of fields we do get the rats coming in and mice but mailny when it rains a lot

A guy round the corner has chickens and he had a cockeral too untill we kicked up and he was told to get rid which he did, mind you my mates missus was pished one night and they live next door and she went at it with an axe, it was only that Ally woke up too see she had gone and went to find her he just managed to stop her, shame really cos the bloody thing was keeping everyone awake
Cheers
Colin

I think we're the only people who don't keep chickens here My neighbour behind has a smallholding with goats, sheep, chickens, geese, ducks and a very noisy cockerel, the one in front has chickens and a noisy cockerel and one just down the road also has a noisy cockerel, we are awoken every morning to a cacophony of bleating, baa-ing, clucking, honking, quacking and ****-a-doodle-dooing

It took a bit of getting used at first to but now I love it, it's far more soothing than the noise of traffic, kids shouting, radios etc

i'd have a look at the welfare of these animals, if they look like there being kept in RSPCA a call, letr them decide whats best for them
it might get the numbers down, i get reallly annoyued why people have to have all these animals cooped up in a small garden, in cages that are dirty, little water and food,
pretty someone didn't do the same to her and the kids, sounds like they could do with eating less

Thanks It's not quite that simple as he has "taken over" some land behind his house owned by one of the local farmers. I have written to the council and the farmer who owns the land but no action as yet

We live within 50 ft of a farm that has around 50 hens,a few *****,loadsa ducks and around 20 geese..

They do make a noise,but come on,it aint bad...I cant believe people buy a house on a housing estate and expect silence!! Ditto people that buy a house near farmland and dont expect to hear farm animals!!

It could be a lot worse...you could have a scooby owner next door with full decat and firestorm exhaust,who cant see the problem in firing it up at any given time..